Dish display holders



June 7, 1960 w. D. DUMAINE 2,93

DISH DISPLAY HOLDERS Filed Jan. 15, 1959 m\wuIuInvIuunM INVENTOR. WILDON O. DUMAINE ATI'OENEK United States Patent 2,939,586 DISH- DISPLAY HOLDERS Wilden D. Dumaine, Brooklyn, N.Y.,.assignor of onehalf to Thomas F. De Cola, Brooklyn, N.Y.

' Filed Jan. 15, 1959, Ser. No. 786,990

Claims. or. 21141 This invention relates to display holders for dishes, and the main object of the invention is the provision of new and improved dish display holders with means for displaying, selectively, one, two, or three dishes. Without modifying the principle of the invention a dish holder may also be provided to hold more than three dishes.

Another object of the invention is the provision of such a dish holder with convertible means for converting a holder to hold one dish more than it is basically designed for.

The above as well as additional objects will beclarified in the following description wherein reference numerals refer to like-numbered parts in the accompanying drawing. It is to be noted that the drawing is intended solely for the purpose of illustration and that it is therefore neither desired nor intended to limit the invention necessarily to any or all of the exact details of construction shown or described except insofar as they may be deemed essential to the invention.

Referring briefly to the drawing,

Fig. l is a perspective view of the dish holder in one form, showing the same displaying three dishes of increasing diameter from front to back of the holder.

Fig. 2. is a sectional view, enlarged, taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a front elevational view of the dish holder of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the same.

Fig. 5 is a side elevational view of the same when converted to a two-dish holder.

Fig. 6 is a side elevational view of a one-dish holder which is convertible to a two-dish holder.

Fig. 7 is a top perspective view of a detail.

Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken on the line 8--8 of Fig. 4.

Referring in detail to the drawing, the numeral 10 indicates the base of the dish display holder, the front end 11 and the back end 12 being somewhat elevated above the level of the base. Upstanding from the base 10 and integral therewith, are a series of successively taller approximately U-shaped support members, Figs. 2 through 5, having the general appearance of relatively thick loops or folds of a ribbon, shown at 13, 14 and 15. All of the holder thus far described is made unitarily of a suitable material such as, for example, a plastic material having a degree of flexibility. The first two support members 13 and 14 tilt backward somewhat.

The forwardmost member 13 is formed of a front portion 16 and a rear portion 17, the latter having a groove 18 at the bottom thereof and having its lower portion concave. The second member 14 has a larger concave portion 19 in front and a convex portion 20 in back, the latter also having a transverse groove, 21, at the bottom thereof. The third member has the forward portion 22 thereof concave and the rear portion 23 of any desired configuration, herein illustrated asstraight with a substan- 2 tially horizontal extension 24 joining the top thereof to the top of the portion 23.

The holder as shown in Fig. 5 is adapted to receive two dishes, one between the first member 13 and the second member 14, and another dish between the second member 14 and the third member 15; these dishes are shown, respectively, at 25 and 26, Fig. 2, resting on the top surface of the base with the forward portion of the rim of the dish registering in the grooves 18 and 21, respectively and with the dishes leaning against the next rearward member.

As an alternative to provide means for converting the two-dish holder to a three-dish holder illustrated in Fig. 2, the uppermost U-shaped crown portion of the first member 13 is made removable and, to convert it back to a two-dish holder, replaceable. For this purpose the top transverse edges of edge 28 of the portion 16a remaining at the front of the member 13 after removal of the crown 27, is provided with a groove 29 preferably extending only partway along the edge 28, as shown in Fig. 7. The top edge 30 of the rear portion 17a of the member 13 is likewise provided with a similar groove 31, Fig. 2. The detachable crown 27 is provided at each end with a transverse tongue 32,'the tongues being registrable in the grooves 29 and 311'. In order not to mar the appearance of the front member 13 when the crown 27 is removed, both the grooves and the tongues are rounded as shown in Fig. 8 to preserve the continuity of the external surface of the member 13 when the crown is in place as shown in Fig. 5. Owing to the flexibility of the material of which it is made, the crown may be easily slipped in place to register the tongues in the grooves and thus be firmly retained by the tendency of the legs of the crown to spread. By slightly compressing the legs in grasping the crown, it may readily be removed. Thus, with the crown 27 removed, a space is provided between the legs 16a and 17a for insertion of another plate, shown at 33, therebetween. The plates thus displayed would have successively increasing diameters in a rearward direction.

The convertible one and two-dish holder shown in Fig. 6 has only the two upstanding support members 13 and 15, the former being provided with the same removable crown 27.

Thus a new and useful dish-display holder has been provided, which is not only attractive in appearance but is also easy to use for the purposes set forth.

The invention having thus been described, what is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is as follows:

1. A dish display holder having a base, a front end and a rear end, and having at least two longitudinally spaced upstanding members extending from the base and tilting in a rearward direction, the space between adjacent members being adapted to receive a dish mounted on edge therein resting on the base and leaning against the member rearward thereof, at least the forwardmost of said members comprising an inverted approximately U-shaped member including a front leg and a rear leg and a crown joining the legs at the top, said crown being separable from said legs, and means partly on the crown and partly on said legs for releasably locking the crown on the legs.

2. A dish display holder according to claim 1, said means comprising a groove in the top of each of said legs, said crown having a complementary tongue on each end thereof registering in one of said last-named grooves.

3. A dish display holder for displaying dishes of successively increasing diameter with the smallest dish at the front of the holder and the largest dish to the rear thereof, comprising a base having a normally horizontal upper surface, a series of inverted approximately U- 7 amazes i I shaped members extendingupward from said top surface,

said. members. being progressively taller from. front to back of the base, each of said members consisting of the legs of the U and a separable crown normally joining the uppert ends. ofithe-legs; means;partly.on:thecrown:and3 partly on the legs for releasably. locking'the; crown to: thezilegsasaidilegs and: said: crowns lying between two transversely spaced: planes longitudinal to: and. normal to the-base, thezreanlegzofseach :ofsaidsm'embers: except the. rearwatdmostfhaving a". transverse. groove,- thereinon the lQwer,-end:1thereof, the holder being .adaptedz-to have each ofifthmdisliesreston said .surfaceawith :the back of the .dish leaning against the-rnextrearward member andwith the torwardrportiom of :the-rim; of the dish registering in the: said groove of the said rear leg of the-next forward: member.

. A.dishtholderi-accordingzto claim3, saidzmeansrcom- Rilfiillggagroove;- in, the. upper end: of eachv of. said: legs, saidcroWm hayinga complementary tongue. on each end thereof; registering: in one-of: said last-named grooves.

5.,Aidish: display holder comprisinga basehavinga normally; horizontal upper surface having a front end: and.:;a;.rear end,;.the base having. two longitudinally spaced. inyerted-iapproximately U-shaped members extending upwardgifrom said surface; each of saidmembers consisting. ofitheitwo legsof the. U andta crown joining the. upper GildSgOf, the legs; one ofjsaid members having the crown thereof; removable;..means partly on thecrownand partly on therlegszof said: one of;said' members: for releasablylocking the crown to the legs, all of said legs and said crowns. lying. between. two. transversely spaced planes longitudinal to and normal to,the base, the front member of said members having a transverse groove in the lower end of the rear leg thereof, the holder being adapted to have a dish mounted between said members with the dish resting on said surface and with the forward edge of the rim of the dish registering in said groove and with the back of the dish leaning. againsLthe rear member of said members, said rear member being taller than said-front member.

References. Citedin thefileof this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS D. 149,919 Ullmann June 8, 1948 D. 167,203 Grod'e July 8, 1952 629,784 Flindall Aug. 1, 1899 635,284. Aeairuu Oct. 24,1899 1,659,509; Ashbrook' .Feb. 14, 192.8. 2,747,787 Davidson May 29, 1956 2,873g859, Gates Feb..17, 19.59v

' FOREIGN PATENTS 373,- Australia, Feb; 2, .1926

OTHER REFERENCES.

J. B. Timberlake Catalog No. 29, received Oct; 8, 1957; (Div.- 52.). 

